- Jul 15, 2011
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I have a flock of 15 geese and 16 hens/pullets. They all are in or just finishing a heavy molt. About two weeks ago, it got very cold pretty fast here. We lost a gander one night, and I assumed it was from the cold, because I had seen no symptoms of illness. A week later, one gander and one pullet came out of their coop in the morning, unable to walk without falling over. It looked as if they couldn't find their balance, and would try to use their wings and tails to stand up straight. They would finally settle on their bellies, sometimes with wings extended, while the other birds were milling about. Eating/drinking happened as normal. They were vocalizing as normal. There were no unusual head movements, no other signs or symptoms. The gander seemed to regain his balance and was acting fine these past three or four days, but we found him dead this morning. The pullet shows no improvement, but is eating and drinking voraciously. I know this loss of balance thing can be a sign of any number of illnesses, but I have no idea how to begin to diagnose, let alone help, my poor birds. I'm feeling like my knowledge of poultry diseases is woefully inadequate. Any ideas?? Please help!
